UBCV
January 24, 2023, 12:00 pm
Title: "Health as a Daily Experience: Lessons from 42,243 Days of US Adults"
Speaker: Dr. David Almeida is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and a faculty member of the Center for Healthy Aging at Penn State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Victoria. Dr. Almeida’s research examines the effects of biological and self-reported indicators of stress on health. His primary interest has been the role of daily stress on healthy aging but has also examined stress processes in specific populations and contexts, such as the workplace and family interactions, parents of children with developmental disabilities, and family caregivers. Dr. Almeida has held leadership roles in three National Institutes of Health Research Initiatives including: the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Study; the Work, Family & Health Research Network; and the Science of Behavior Change Network. He is also the Director of a National Institute of Aging T32 training program on Psychosocial and Biological Pathways to Healthy Aging.
Summary: How we live our daily lives has profound implications for our health and well-being. Day-to-day patterns of stress, social interactions, mood, physical activity, and sleep have been shown to be powerful predictors of physical and mental health., a 20-year longitudinal study that combines daily telephone interviews about mundane yet frequent experiences with biological assessments of health. This research design permits the assessment of the dynamics of ebb and flow of multiple aspects of daily life. Three general "lessons" discussed are: First, it is vital to distinguish between exposure and responses to daily stressors, but this is difficult to do; Second, variety and range of experiences are often more important than amount of experiences; and Third, a stress-free life is not always beneficial.
Participants may attend in person at the Rudy North Lecture Theatre in the Centre for Brain Health at UBC or over Zoom. A light lunch will be provided for those attending in person.